Transverse mode coupling in an optical resonator

Small-angle scattering due to mirror surface roughness is shown to couple the optical modes and deform the transmission spectra in a frequency-degenerate optical cavity. A simple model based on a random scattering matrix clearly visualizes the mixing and avoided crossings between multiple transverse modes. These effects are visible only in the frequency-domain spectra; cavity ringdown experiments are unaffected by changes in the spatial coherence, as they probe just the intracavity photon lifetime.